We have rampant wisteria popping out of the ground along an old fenceline (the fence is long gone), and I can't seem to locate an original plant that it's all coming from. It never blooms, it's hideous. Here's what works for me. 1)Get a bunch of little plastic vials with rubbery stopper tops - they usually have a slit or hole in the top - from your local florist. They're not expensive. 2)Cut the wisteria to within a foot of the ground, or if you have green shoots coming off woody stems, strip the leaves and use the green shoot-stems. 3)Fill each vial with weed killer (I used Roundup with prevention) and insert the cut end or exposed green shoots into the stopper top so that the ends are immersed in the poison. 4)Leave for a few weeks and the poison should be sucked down into the woody stem and into the roots, or at least a portion of them. If the stem is too stiff, bend it over a bit and masking tape the vial to the lower part of the stem so that its right-side up. I don't like using poison in the yard, but sfter 7 summmers of battle with this hideous eyesore, this is the only thing that has worked for me. Good luck!

Wow, thanks for the information- I've never had that kind of luck with getting ModPodge to harden. You may very well be right-- it could be it was either too damp or not warm enough in the house. The nice thing about sealing over ModPodge or other glue products is that if you get enough layers over it, the decoupage has a sort of recessed/inlaid feel to it. If you get a chance, you can see a couple of the past decoupage projects I've got online: http://web.mac.com/thriftshopromantic/iWeb/The_Thrift_Shop_Romantic/Decoupage_Footstool_Purse.html http://web.mac.com/thriftshopromantic/iWeb/The_Thrift_Shop_Romantic/Greeting_Card_and_Lace_Guest_Tray.html I ended up doing these with Aleene's Craft Glue, and then a topcoat. But now you've got me thinking I just wasn't using the ModPodge under the right conditions! --Jenn

There are pluses and minuses. I have slept in '80s brass beds, 1880s brass beds, and a more modern wrought iron bed. Here are some things to think about. - Metal beds originally became popular as a precaution against bedbugs. Bedbugs hide in wood furniture, so if you get an infestation simply replacing the mattress won't suffice. For most of my life, bedbugs were a quaint old affliction remembered only in good-night sayings. However, they are now back in a big way. If you travel at all, your luggage can carry bedbugs from a hotel (even a very nice hotel) right back to your own bed. If so, you may have to treat or replace the mattress but at least your bed will be easy to sanitize. - You need to plan out where your head goes. Banging your skull on metal is unpleasant. That means you need good-sized pillows for sleeping and extra fluffage for reading. And yes, pillows do have a tendency to slip behind the bed. - I found it pleasant to touch the cool metal with my hands when I was warm in bed. It sounds like nothing, but it actually made a difference in comfort . - By all means get a well-made bed if you go metal. Cheap metal beds flex and move and bend even more than cheap wooden ones. A poorly made bed will make you feel like you are sleeping in a lifeboat on open seas.

When I worked for the school district we used to buy rags from Goodwill for the repair shop. T-shirts and towels were preferred but sometimes if not specified they'd give us all sorts of clothes. All the secretaries would come running and go through the rag bags and grab clothes. You'd be surprised what they'd put in there. Perfectly good clothes - often like new and possibly new. But I also have one more idea. Check with your local school's auto shop. Well, any of the shop classes. Wood shop would use them too, most likely. Often use rags for staining wood and as tack cloths for prep work. They may well want them for rags. Help out the schools too. Even electronic repair shops, computer repair shops and the like would likely need them. When I had my shop we always washed down the computers before returning them. Would have really appreciated a bunch of t-shirts rather than using paper towels all the time. Otherwise, I like the mechanic idea too. But I'm sure Goodwill would take them. Possibly Salvation Army. Frankly, don't count out the local Community Action programs. Maybe you don't think they're very good, but if a poor hard-working parent can't afford any clothes for their kids, what you might think is bad could be a joy for them. Don't be embarrassed to ask. I'm sure you'll advise them up-front as to condition and if they say no thank you, that's fine, but you wanted to offer, just in case. Another thought - any small engine repair shops? Hardware store or something? Is there a neighbor who does shadetree mechanic repairs or the like? Your local city or county probably has a maintenance shop for repairing trucks and vehicles who would probably want them too. Save a few taxpayer dollars that way too. No matter what or where they go, it's a nice time of year to think of a donation of any type to any worthwhile place.